As you have no doubt read, the schlockmeister’s 3.5-foot-high stainless steel Rabbit from 1986 sold for $91 million at auction last week (the previous record was held by David Hockney, whose painting of a swimming pool went for $800,000 less in November). I find Koons a fascinating phenomenon of our times, and I dutifully if numbly wandered through his retrospective at the Whitney five years
ago—an experience akin, I would imagine, to being locked inside McDonald’s during a three-hour-long children’s birthday party.
But if there is such a thing as a high point in his career, the Brancusi Bunny marks the spot. As The New Yorker’s Andrea Scott remarked in an online post: “In 1986, the year it was made, it was shown at the Sonnabend Gallery, where it made an immediate impact. Kirk Varnedoe, who would become the chief curator of MoMA, wrote, of his first encounter with the piece, 'It seemed to me instantly, by involuntary reflex—and still does by long reflection—that this bunny is one of those very rare hits at the exact center of the target.' It became an icon of eighties excess (and, thus, of white, male privilege): fuck like bunnies, make more money, the one with the most toys wins. It was an instant classic worthy of the oxymoron, as weightless as Andy Warhol’s shiny silver clouds of inflated Mylar and as radical as Constantin Brancusi’s polished-bronze Bird in Space.”
No matter what you think of Koons and his work, the man is indisputably a marketing genius. Early on he learned a thing or two about selling an image and has even hired consultants over the years to help him cultivate a particular look and affect. But it’s not like he invented the game of the manufactured artistic persona. Others, including even the great Cézanne, learned to develop a look, an attitude, an alluring back story that helped give them an edge in the art world. As I wrote in Extreme Self-Marketing, soon after launching the site, artists as diverse as James McNeill Whistler and Louise Nevelson have studiously groomed themselves to stand out from the crowd.
Before making an entrance, Whistler prepared himself as an actor applies makeup and dons a costume before appearing on stage. A self-portrait from 1858
In news of a more modest scale, my art buddy Ani Garrick and I dropped in on a couple of galleries in Santa Fe again on Saturday, then headed down to the teeny weeny town of Galisteo for an opening at the Community Arts Center, where we ran into V21 members Ilona Pachler and Carol Rose Brown.
Above is Ani Garrick (left) with dealer Ylise Kessler, who has a new gallery near the Railyard District in Santa Fe and a small but noteworthy exhibition of the haunting portrait busts of Elise Siegel (I’ll be reviewing the show shortly for Sculpture magazine. At the top of the newsletter is an installation of Siegel’s work from a previous show.)
We also dropped in at Gerald Peters Gallery, where Peri Schwartz, another V21 member, has a fine selection of drawings and paintings.
And then we headed south to Galisteo to the "open gala party" for the show "Under the Influence" at the Arts Center, Carol Rose Brown's knockout photo Some Remain (archival digital print, 2019, 17 by 48 inches) gave me the chills in a very good way.
I miss the huge range of galleries and museums and general art-world buzz that were the norm during my 20-plus years in New York, but the Santa Fe area has much to offer, and it’s also a helluva lot more affordable. Not to mention the spectacular scenery, especially at this time of year when there’s still a dusting of snow on the mountains but fifty shades of green blooming down below. You can understand why Georgia O’Keeffe, Agnes Martin, and even Bruce Nauman put down roots here. Maybe I have too.
And here is your weekly round-up of member news:
“These semi-figurative 'Dolls' surprised me," writes Pamela Blum of the works in her show at John Davis Gallery in Hudson, NY (through June 16).. "They evolved from my previous sculptures but had to solve a technical need to hang from wires (they can also hang directly on a wall.). As a result, I made bulbous 'bodies' to hide hooks and 'legs' to stabilize them. With their aluminum mesh armatures plumped up with plaster bandages, papier mâché, and layers of wax, these sculptures took on nearly human, feminine personalities. Their abstracted forms and gestures remind me of adolescent preoccupations with body images and degrees of femininity that used to cause me everything from envy to revulsion.”
Pamela Blum, Thin Doll (2019), encaustic, papier mâché, plaster gauze, aluminum mesh, 11 by 5 by 2.5 inches
Ellen Soffer has two exhibitions in the works. “B.I.G., Bold, Impressive, Grand” is a curated show through June 15 at Mary Tomás Gallery in Dallas, TX. And “Marks in Time” opens June 2 and runs through the 28th at the Louisiana State Exhibition Museum in Shreveport, LA. “A painting begins with drawing shapes and lines on the canvas,” Soffer writes on her website. “These compositional elements are abstract and I work on them intuitively. Later, stepping back, I may sense figurative or associative elements in the painting. It is important that these elements be universal forms—something that isn’t too literal but might be understood by or at least create intrigue for anyone anywhere.”
From the show “B.I.G” in Dallas: Ellen Soffer’s Yellow Bird (2019), oil on linen, 72 by 36 inches
Through June 15, Barbara Laube is having her second show at the Painting Center in New York. Called “A Breath Away,” the title “alludes to an inner prompting, 'I am a breath away,'" says the announcement. “These paintings were all done in the past year. While some may see this second exhibition as a departure from her earlier work, it represents more of a evolution of the themes in Laube’s work that has been consistent for decades. The built-up texture of the oil paint from her previous work has been replaced by the scraped textures of gold and silver leaf. Thick viscous impasto has given way to an ethereal lightness and touch. Gravity is surrendered to, and the fluid veils, drips, and accidental marks portray shifts in energy and consciousness. Imperfection, awkwardness, vulnerability, and a tentative quality are all present.”
Barbara Laube, When Air Becomes Breath 7 (2019), oil, gold and silver leaf on panel, 18 by 24 inches
At the same time that Fran Shalom has a solo at Kathryn Markel in New York (mentioned in the newsletter two weeks ago), she has also curated a group show called “!qUiRk” at the gallery, and it includes a couple of other Vasari21 members, Elisa D’Arrigo and Barbara Friedman. “The origin of the word ‘quirk' is unknown, but when it first appeared in the 16th century it referred particularly to a sudden twist, turn or curve, particularly in writing or drawing, later acquiring the specific sense of a 'flourish' in writing or drawing,” says the press release. “Using a variety of media—knitted yarn, clay, old photographs, ceramics & paint—the works of many of the seventeen artists represented in !qUiRk materially involve turns, curves, three-dimensional twists, sudden deviations, swirls and flourishes.” Sounds like great fun to me. Catch it before it closes June 15.
Elisa D’Arrigo, pink protagonist (2011), glazed hand-built ceramic, 4.5 by 9 by 4.5 inches
Barbara Friedman, Mouthful (2019), oil on wood, 24 by 24 inches
From June 1 to the 29th, David Grossmann will be having a solo called “Inward” at Gallery 1261 in Denver, CO. “These paintings are my introspections, my inward journey to understand something about the motivations that drive me as an artist,” writes Grossmann. I wanted to go deeper into my subject matter, my materials, and my inspirations behind each painting. This led me to focus some of these pieces around specific subjects that have become important and symbolic to me. It gave me the means to experiment with technique in new ways, pushing the boundaries of how I use the pigments, mediums and surfaces that comprise my work. This process of introspection also led me into explorations of mood through texture and color, walking where the blurry lines of reality finally dissolve into abstraction.”
David Grossmann, Summer Evening Glow (2018), oil on linen panel, 24 by 18 inches
Each year, hundreds of artists come together in support of A.I.R. Gallery in Brooklyn, NY, by donating a small work for the annual postcards show. Founded in 1972, the gallery is “an artist-run organization and exhibition space that supports the open exchange of ideas and risk-taking by women artists in order to provide support and visibility,” says the announcement for the show, which runs through June 23. “A self-directed governing body, the organization is an alternative to mainstream institutions and thrives on the network of active participants.” At least two V21 artists are among the many taking part, and their contributions are below.
Ilona Pachler, Ashur (2019), photograph with watercolor, 4 by 6 inches
Try to imagine a Craigslist tailored specifically to artists and creative types, and you’ll have some idea of what Spacelandia is all about. Described as a “creative classifieds marketplace” by the founders, artists Judy Mannarino and Michelle Weinberg, the site has categories for space, stuff, services, employment, and more. “All ads are FREE, renewable each week, and users are asked to get the word out,” says the press release. “The Spacelandia team is open to feedback and suggestions during this time. After Beta testing, ads will only cost $10 per ad per week. Any artist wishing to announce an exhibition will always be able to advertise for FREE!” There’s not much on the site as yet, but it is a brilliant idea, well worth supporting, and you can check out the details here.
And that about wraps it up for the week.
A very happy Memorial Day to all!
Top: Some of Elise Siegel’s ceramic busts featured in “The Penetrating Gaze” at Ylise Kessler Gallery in Santa Fe, NM, through July 6
Barbara Friedman, Mouthful (2019), oil on wood, 24 by 24 inches
